2012 Voting Changes

The new PA law called Voter Photo ID will go into effect in the November Presidential election. In order to vote in the November general election, you must have a Government issued, photo ID with an expiration date on it. Register by October 7 to vote on November 6!

State governments across the country enacted many new laws that could make it significantly harder for as many as five million eligible Americans to vote. Some states require voters to show government-issued photo identification, often of a type that as many as one in ten voters do not have (Brennan Center for Justice). These new restrictions fall most heavily on young, minority, elderly, and low-income voters, as well as on voters with disabilities.

Since the Pennsylvania Voter ID law was enacted in March, PennDOT has been working closely with the Department of State to ensure that every voter has the opportunity to obtain photo identification. Voters who lack verification documents necessary for a secure Pennsylvania Photo ID (non-driver’s license ID card), will be able to obtain a new Department of State voter identification card for free by visiting a PennDOT Driver License Center.

The Department of State Voter ID, which will be valid for 10 years and can only be used for voting purposes. For this reason, if a resident has the necessary documents, PennDOT’s primary focus is to issue a secure Pennsylvania identification.